The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

FOUR people are in police custody in connection with the heist of John Bull in Grand Bahama last week, Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson said Tuesday.

He did not clarify whether any of the four will be charged before the courts with the theft of nearly $1m in merchandise.

However, the commissioner said he was pleased with the progress authorities were making with the case.

A police source told The Tribune a man was arrested Tuesday after officials discovered five Rolex watches worth more than $60,000 in his luggage as he attempted to travel from Grand Bahama to the capital on a mail boat.

Authorities were notified of the situation after a scanner detected the watches, which were concealed in the contents of the man’s suitcase, The Tribune was told.

Not long after the arrest, photos of watches with price tags attached to them and a man allegedly arrested for possession of the stolen property, along with a report purportedly detailing the arrest, circulated on social media. Police would not confirm the details of the information being circulated.

A week ago Monday, two men dressed as women orchestrated a brazen day light robbery of the retail store located at Port Lucaya, a tourist hot spot on the island.

“We have at least four persons in custody,” the police commissioner said Tuesday during a press conference at police headquarters.

“I am extremely pleased with the progress we are making with that matter. We expect to continue to make greater progress as the day and the days go by.”

Asked if police had confiscated any of the stolen goods, he said: “I know you may see things floating around on social media, but we have recovered items and as I indicated we are extremely pleased with the progress we are making.”

During last week’s incident, robbers smashed a display case and stole a number of high priced watches from the retailer, which is known to carry a wide range of high priced brands, including Rolex.

The incident marked the second time in two months that men disguised as women robbed a jewellery store after a similar theft happened at Quantum Duty-Free in downtown Nassau earlier this year. However, it is not known whether these incidents were connected.

Customers and employees inside the Grand Bahama store were taken by surprise and left shocked by the theft which occurred around 10am. The thieves did not have guns and escaped on foot in a nearby vehicle, which was later recovered by police and discovered to have been stolen.

Surveillance video footage of the robbers dressed in women’s clothing went viral on social media. In the footage, the two men are seen running from the Port Lucaya Marketplace store clutching large handbags. One of the thieves clutched his wig as he ran, in an effort to keep it from falling off.

Assistant Superintendent Terecita Pinder told The Tribune last week that the stolen items were valued at more than $900,000.